FAQ

For the bachelor's degree in Korean Studies, there will be limited admittance to the bachelor's degree major and minor beginning in the 2019/20 winter semester. There is no NC.

The application takes place via the online application portal of the Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen. More information can be found here.
Foreign applicants who did not acquire their study qualifications at a German-speaking institution must provide evidence of German language skills that enable them to study at a university ("Linguistic Ability to Study"). Proof of linguistic ability to study must be provided by the respective application deadline and attached to the online application. The online application will be rejected if proof of language proficiency is not received in due time.

The application for the winter semester takes place until July 15th.

International students who have not graduated a german school must prove that their degree is comparable to the German Abitur. In addition, they must have sufficient knowledge of the German language.
More information for international students is available here.

Yes, there is a replacement procedure for which you can apply. More information can be found here.

The Korean studies program begins in the winter semester. The lecture period starts at the beginning of october this year. You can find the exact times in your admission information. In addition, the most important information is published on the Korean Studies website. Please take a look at the News and Program pages in particular!
There are also two important events for first-year students:

• The preparatory course in which you learn to read and write Korean. This takes place BEFORE the beginning of the lecture period from October 6th to 10th, 2025. The preparatory course is only compulsory for students of the Korean Studies Major. More information below.
• The orientation event, which will take place in Room 30 in the Korean Studies Department, is on October 14th, 2025. 

No. The Korean studies program only begins in the winter semester.

If you have general questions about application, admission and enrollment, please contact the Student Administration Office.
If you have specific questions about studying Korean Studies, please contact our bachelor's coordinator Jun.-Prof. Dr. Yewon Lee.
If you have any questions about Korean language education, see the next section. If this does not answer your questions, please contact Dr. Euna Kim.
See also the Student Advisory Service page.

In addition to intensive language education in the Bachelor's program, you will acquire knowledge primarily with a focus on the history, society and culture of modern Korea. It is best to read the description of the program carefully.
A detailed study plan / module plan can be found in the study and examination regulations and in the module handbook on the Korean Studies website.
If you have any further questions, please contact the bachelor's coordinator Jun.-Prof. Dr. Yewon Lee.

Admission to the bachelor's program does not require any Korean language skills.
However, if you are majoring in Korean studies, you must take part in a preparatory course. This is a one-week intensive course (see above under "When does the program start?") that takes place one week BEFORE the start of the lecture period. In this week you will learn the Korean alphabet Han’gŭl (Hangeul).

If you cannot take part in the preparatory course for important reasons, you should contact the language lecturers. You then have to acquire the knowledge yourself, i.e. independently, but the lecturers will certainly be able to give you a few tips and advice.
The language courses require that all students can read and write at the level of the preparatory course. There will be no consideration later if you cannot.

Anyone who learned the Han’gŭl alphabet and can read the Korean words will take a short Han’gŭl exam. The lecturers will determine what level you are at. If you have sufficient knowledge of the writing system, you do not have to take part in the preparatory course.
The Han’gŭl exam will take place online on October 2nd, 2025 between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. on Zoom and only lasts about 5 minutes. You can book a slot for the test via this link.

Yes, if you have no previous knowledge of Han’gŭl, register for one of the two preparatory courses via alma by October 1st, 2025. If you plan to take the exam on October 2nd, you do not have to register.

There are two options here:

1. You have prior knowledge, but would like to participate in the language classes anyway.

   In this case, there is nothing that you must do other than sign up and participate for the language classes as normal. Important to note is that you must begin with the language classes of the first semester. As passing the language classes of the first two semesters is a prerequisite, it is not possible to simply skip straight to the third semester language classes. In order to start participating in language classes as of the third semester, you must take and pass the exams of each semester's language classes along with your peers.

2. You would like to skip/not attend the language classes of the first semester.

   The most important thing to note is that even if you do not attend the language classes, you must take the midterm and final exams of all language classes. This is because we need the grade in order to recognize the credits.

• If you have attended a language school or similar institution:

  The credits that you have earned from a language school or institution can be recognized by the department and university. In order for this to happen, we require proof of hours spent in class and grades. About 150 hours of instructions equte to one semester in Tübingen. If the submitted certificates are not strong or clear enough, you will have to participate in the exam for language class exeption, so that your language level may be assessed.

  We require the following information: Which language school did you attend? Which level? Do you have certificates or other proof? Which materials (such as textbooks) were used? How many total instruction hours did you have at the school? Please contact Dr. Euna Kim with this information.

• In case you did self-study: Which instruction materials did you use and for how long have you studied?

  Without an official certificate, you must, after a discussion with Dr. Euna Kim, participate in the exam for language class exemption, so that we can assess you level. Following the results of this exam, it is possible that you will be exempted from mandatory attendance of language classes.

The exam for language class exemption is on October 10th, 2025 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in room 42 of the Korean Studies Department (Wilhelstr. 133). The exam tests grammar, reading comprehension, listening comprehension, speaking, and essay writing. The exam takes about 3 and a half hours.

Please contact Dr. Euna Kim before October 6th, 2025 with the above information, so that we can assess your language proficiency level.

As a major student, you have to attend two language courses of 10 hours per week. The courses are:

• Basic Korean I (vocabulary and grammar, reading comprehension, and essay writing: 6 hours per week)
• Korean Active I (listening comprehension and speaking: 4 hours per week)

As a minor student, you have to attend two language courses of 6 hours per week. The courses are:

• Basic Korean I (vocabulary and grammar, reading comprehension, and essay writing: 3 hours per week)
• Korean Active I (Listening Comprehension and Speaking: 3 hours per week)

You can also find this information in the module handbook and in the study and examination regulations.

The course catalog is published on the alma-Portal. As soon as you are enrolled and have received your registration data, you can register there and then take the courses that you need.
You should have registered for your language courses on alma by the beginning of the semester (and also the content-related courses, see below). There are only two parallel courses with the same content for major students (Basis I A, Basis I B). When registering for the courses, you can also choose the courses that are more favorable to your schedule.

Please note the following:
The two parallel courses for Basis and Active are equal in terms of content. It is therefore possible to mix the groups. E.g. it is possible to combine Basis A with Active B (and the other way around).

Contact the lecturer whose course you would like to attend and describe your problem. A place in one of the courses will be found for you. You need to proactively address it, and do it as soon as possible.

In the first semester, the module “Grundlagen Koreanistik” must be completed, which consists of the introductory seminar “Einführung Vormodernes Korea” with 2 hours per week and the lecture “Einführung in die Koreanistik” with 2 hours per week.

There are several parallel seminars with the same content for the PS “Einführung Vormodernes Korea”, which are held by different lecturers. Of course, you only choose one of these courses. There is also the tutorial for Scientific Working. In this tutorial, student tutors will teach you all the basic skills you need to know about transcribing (transliteration, which is used to write Korean words with Latin characters), quoting, giving presentations, writing term papers, etc. in the first semester, which you will need in the further course of your studies.

In normal teaching, it is assumed that you will acquire this knowledge on your own. The tutorial therefore provides valuable assistance. All freshmen in Korean studies should therefore attend this tutorial.

If you do not take the courses or do not provide the performance assessments, meaning you do not receive a certificate for at least one of the two courses, then you have failed the module "Grundlagen Koreanistik".

This means that you cannot take any further content-related courses in the following semester. In other words, the seminars History I, Culture, Society, etc. all require that you have successfully completed the basic module beforehand.

This is possible. However, it should also be noted here that the module “Grundlagen der Koreanistik” must first be passed before further content-related courses can be taken. For example, you cannot take “Geschichte Koreas I” in the next semester without having passed the “Einführung in die Koreanistik” and “Einführung Vormodernes Korea”.

The economics department publishes a separate module handbook / curriculum for “non-subject-specific courses” every year. The courses that you can and should take in Korean Studies are also listed there.

For students in the studying Korean Studies as a major, the year abroad must be completed in the 4th and 5th semester. The year abroad is an integral part of the curriculum. All majors are therefore guaranteed a spot in Korea.

Conversely, no courses for the 4th and 5th semester in Korean Studies are offered in Tübingen for major students. Those who cannot go to South Korea for a year should therefore not make Korean Studies their major.

Everyone else should read through the next question.

In principle, this is possible, but the available study places in Korea are initially allocated to the major students due to the guarantee of a study place. If there are still places available afterwards, non-major students can also apply for these.

If you are interested, please contact the bachelor's coordinator Prof. Dr. You Jae Lee.

Korean Studies Tübingen has a number of Korean partner universities, currently ten in number. You can find the list under the TUCKU / Partner Universities tab. This means that you can choose your favorites from these universities. In the end, however, the department decides which university you will study at.

Each university has a certain number of places reserved for our students. That alone, of course, limits the freedom of choice.

You should therefore state your preferred universities in your application. However, there is no guarantee that you will then also study at this university. Korean studies take into account a number of factors when making the assignment. Of course, the wishes of the students play an important role. However, it is also taken into account and weighed up what the student's curriculum looks like, which language courses are best suited, but also what the academic achievements are, in order to select the right university for each student.

However, you will receive information about the year abroad within an appropriate time frame. Apart from the information on the website, there will be two information events on the year abroad. The most important information is also summarized in the information brochure for the year abroad under TUCKU / Info brochure. In addition, your sónbae, i.e. your fellow students from the higher semesters as well as the master’s students, are happy to provide advice and assistance.

On the Korean Studies website under the TUCKU tab, more detailed information on the procedure, student reports and a brochure on the year abroad can be downloaded.

TUCKU stands for Tübingen Center for Korean Studies at Korea University and is a branch of the University of Tübingen in Korea.

You can find all information under the tab Studies / Study and Examination Regulations.